and why would you believe you could control how you’re perceived?

How beautiful is this turquoise kimono?! If you didn’t know, I absolutely adore vintage clothing and even have an Etsy shop where I sell some of my vintage finds. Aside from scouring racks upon racks at my local thrift stores, I also love to hit up little vintage shops in the city! Although priced relatively higher than a thrift shop, vintage shops offer a specially curated selection of quality vintage so that if time is not on your side, no worries because there’s no digging involved here! All the work is already done for you and you can still get your hands on some of the most unique vintage out there.

This gorgeous kimono that I’m wearing happens to be from one of the longest standing vintage shops in Toronto, and one of my personal favourites – Courage My Love. The shop is located in the heart of Kensington Market, which is the mecca of all things unique and weird, yet super cool and fun. If you’re ever in the city, Kensington Market is a must-see for the unique finds, food, and people watching.

I happened to stumble into Courage My Love on a Sunday afternoon while strolling the streets of Kensington Market for their last Pedestrian Sunday of the summer. I wasn’t looking for anything in particular, but as I made my way towards the back of the store, I noticed the prettiest turquoise colour and intricate embroidery peeking out of a rack in the corner that was literally stuffed up against the wall. Of course, I went over and pulled out the hanger, and low and behold, the most beautiful kimono I’ve ever seen appeared before my eyes. Never in all my years of thrifting/vintage shopping have I ever found a piece more exquisite than this. And for only $48??!? Was I dreaming? This substantial piece is made entirely of silk, has no flaws, is completely one-of-a-kind, and literally reminds me of one of those $400 kimonos that Spell Gypsy is currently selling. As soon as I saw the kimono, I already knew it was going home with me. As I made my way to the cash register after trying it on, several customers in the shop even stopped to tell me what a beautiful piece it was. And I couldn’t agree more. I just felt so lucky that I was the one bringing this beautiful piece home with me.

If you didn’t know, I LOVE kimonos. Kimonos have been my thing for several years now. At my old work, you would usually find me wearing kimonos with a tee shirt and jeans on Fridays, and a kimono layered over my slim office pants during the week. I wore kimonos so much that even I couldn’t keep track. One day as I came into work, my co-worker literally said “another day, another kimono” haha. Since I usually like to wear my kimonos more casually to dress up a simple jeans and tee, I wanted to style it a bit differently this time. So, I decided to layer it over a dusty pink silk slip dress that somewhat matched the colours of the embroidered flowers in the trim of the kimono. To play it more safe, I think this kimono would also look amazing over an all-white dress or romper, but I loved how the pink slip helped to draw out the details in the trim of the jacket.

I know this vintage piece may not be everyone’s cup of tea since it’s quite out there. But I absolutely adore it and that’s all that matters. Which brings me to the theme in this week’s song – Sincerity is Scary by The 1975. This brand new song from one of my favourite bands has been on repeat for the last two weeks. I’m obsessed. It reminds me of If I Believe You from their previous album, with the choir and jazz influences, but a more upbeat version.

The song is all about our fear of being real, authentic, and open. Instead, we have become obsessed with using irony and cynicism as a facade to mask our sincerity. Whether you like to admit it or not, you’ve most likely done it yourself. At the end of the day though, who cares? Keep doing you, keep being you. Stop trying to impress anyone that’s not you, because you have no control over them anyways! Most of the time when others are criticizing/judging you, it’s only a reflection of their own insecurities which in fact have nothing to do with you. So the next time you worry that you’ll look silly in public wearing that outrageous kimono that you adore, screw everyone else and just wear it! I promise you’ll feel even better just being sincere and true to yourself.